Top Social Media Moments of 2015

It was that time of year again for my social media round-up of the top social media moments of 2015. It was no small task to narrow it down to five but this list was chosen from a Canadian perspective and it still covers the most amazing moments of the past year.

Big thanks to CTV Morning Live and Global Winnipeg for having me in to share this list with viewers. Have a listen or read through. What would you add for honourable mentions?

From the federal election to the video of him greeting and welcoming Syrian refugees, he has found a way to leverage social media to share moments of government that don’t come across like anything the Canadian public is used to yet. His team’s use of video and connecting with emotion has really driven pride in being Canadian again and the shares, retweets, and views shows his message is resonating with Canadians, and the rest of the world.

The Weeknd performs at Z100’s iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2015, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Whatever the reason, there’s no question Canada dominated the international music industry in 2015, with artists including Justin Bieber, the Weeknd and Drake delighting critics and commanding the charts as well as streaming services. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP) Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/bieber+drake+weeknd+among+canuck+acts+making+music+waves/11588598/story.html#ixzz3vrBDj2fd

For the first time in history, Canadian acts have reigned on the Billboard charts at the same time, even dominating. in September as the Weeknd, Bieber and Drake (with more than 100M followers on Twitter alone) made history for Canadian artists by monopolizing the top three and then the top four spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where Canadians rarely hit No. 1. Add Vine star Shawn Mendes, newcomer Alessia Cara, and Carly Rae Jepsen and 2015 was the year Canadian artists used their growing following on social media to drive further successes and sales.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage #LoveWins became a worldwide Twitter trending hashtag. It was one of those examples of how humans use social to celebrate a shared experience that they might not be individually invested in but celebrate and cherish nonetheless. Themes such as equality, human rights, and accessibility have been at the forefront of social media this year.

When the attacks happened in Paris social media was a way for those in France to announce they were safe. Facebook launched Safety Check in late 2014 to help Facebook users quickly alert friends and family that they are safe during times of crisis, like earthquakes or tsunamis. In 2015, Safety Check was being used in Paris after the attacks. You would have seen profile pictures overlayed with the French flag on Facebook as well in a sign of solidarity. London-based French artist Jean Jullien created an image to show the world was with France during this time of confusion and horror. He uploaded them to his social media profiles and within hours his Paris Peace Sign had gone viral. These shared experiences on social media–from searching for loved on social, or helping others search via social, and coming together in joy and grief–these are all becoming ways for humanity to connect over global events.

Who knew one dress could be so polarizing? And it wasn’t even one worn by a celebrity like Kim Kardashian or Jennifer Lopez. Millions of people took to social media to analyze the dress and declare, “White and gold!” or just as convincingly, “Blue and black!” Experts in neuroscience and colour vision offered scientific commentary on the optical illusion, and in few short hours the dress had hopped off social media and made the mainstream news appearing on TV news networks, Ellen, and more taking viral to a whole new level. In fact, if you Google just the words “The dress” the Wikipedia page is the number one hit. For the record, the dress is blue and black.